"In 1976 Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols set the agenda for punk's year zero with 'Anarchy in the UK,' a song that summed up the spirit, sound and attitude of the band in one shocking package. Two years later, the Sex Pistols were in tatters, but Rotten was as unsentimental as you'd hope. He reverted to his real name -- John Lydon -- and set about forming a band whose very identity kicked against press and media manipulation. Featuring bassist Jah Wobble, drummer Jim Walker, and guitarist Keith Levene, his new group were Public Image Limited. The public image would be limited. The album was never officially released in the USA back in the day, its sound considered too un-commercial by major-labels for an American release. First Issue has been lovingly reproduced from the original UK 1978 release and this expanded reissue also comes with a clutch of post-punk era treasures. The CD edition is an expanded, two-disc set with an almost hour-long (unedited) October 1978 BBC audio interview with John Lydon, plus rare B-side 'The Cowboy Song' from the period, and two stickers. All of which were approved and coordinated with John Lydon and his personal management."

On 180 gram vinyl with a full-color printed innersleeve. "Groundbreaking" doesn't even begin to describe PiL's album from 1978. Surrounded by polemic on its release, this is arguably where post-punk started. Released in December 1978 after the Sex Pistols' break-up, First Issue is considered by many to be the first post-punk album. After the punk hangover, John Lydon set out to create a new sound that would stand apart from what other contemporary bands were doing, fully aware that it wouldn't be understood by many of his old followers. For this he counted on the help of ex-Clash guitarist Keith Levene, first-time bassist Jah Wobble, and Canadian drummer Jim Walker. It was a bold and risky artistic move towards the future, which drew from Krautrock, prog rock, dub and disco rhythm overtones, all involved in a sinister atmosphere. Despite this radical change, the disconcerted punk fans could still hear echoes of the Sex Pistols in tracks such as "Public Image," "Attack," and "Low Life." The recording took place in different studios and was fraught with problems as the band soon ran out of money. The LP was deemed too uncommercial for the U.S. market despite some parts being re-recorded and its release there was cancelled, and it sparked controversy in some countries due to the lyrics of "Religion." It sounded like nothing else at the time and confounded public and press alike, but today First Issue stands as a truly innovative album that challenged the music of its time.

"Public Image Ltd confirm their first new material in 20 years will begin with the EP One Drop released for Record Store Day on April 21st. John Lydon describes the track as 'One Drop is a reflection of where I grew up in Finsbury Park, London. The area that shaped me, and influenced me culturally and musically, a place I will forever feel connected to.'"

"The second album from John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols group is widely considered to be their magnum opus. Combining such diverse influences as Krautrock, dub, post-punk and the avant-garde, Second Edition is four sides of harsh and uncompromising, yet danceable music. While not the immediate influence and sensation that Never Mind The Bullocks was, this record is certainly John Lydon's finest artistic achievement." 180 gram gatefold double vinyl.

"The third album from PIL, it was originally released in 1981. Another set of harsh, avant-garde, post-punk from John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols group. While Metal Box/Second Edition was characterized by throbbing bass tones and violent guitar scrapes, The Flowers Of Romance is much more drum and synthesizer heavy. Perhaps the most uncompromising PIL album and another classic post-punk title." 180 gram vinyl, glossy innersleeve.

The last document of the quintessential line up of Lyndon/Levene/Wobble/Atkins, originally released in 1980. Recorded in Paris in January of 1980, in front on of many confused French lunks. Seemed somewhat unnecessary at the time, now sounds like an amazing last gasp & quite pleasing to hear. Has never been released in the US. "Lydon says he hates live albums. Paris Au Printemps -- PAP -- the best of two nights recorded in Paris this spring, is consumer service for people that would have shelled out vast sums for low-fi bootlegs of the (currently) extinct species, PiL live. It was cut for the cost of two reels of tape, and edited down in two hours, with none of the overdubbed parts common in live LPs Parisian non-comprehension of PiL in the spring of 1980 seems daft, given the quality of the music. But then, PiL's instinctive suspicion (and frequent rejection) of the way things like music and its means of production generally toddle along means they're disturbing, hence often resented. PiL seem to feel most secure when they're poised over the live wire in the Underground, checking out the noise of the onrushing train for possible recording potential. The bedrock is solid drumming, deliberately straightforward, the least imaginative element. Beyond that, it's Wobble's steady bass, teetering on the brink of the nimble jazz runs that displeased Lydon and Levene. Excellent, actually. Beyond that, it's Levene's extraordinary relationship to music; an obsessive perfectionism that leads him to loathe sounds that do not extend the known boundaries of contemporary Western popular music. Lydon luxuriates in his words, method acting the themes: greed, ignorance, stupidity. The intelligence is fierce, the delivery 3-D. The meaning behind the moaning gets clearer all the time." -- Vivien Goldman/NME 1980. Tracks: "Theme", "Chant", "Careering", "Bad Baby", "Attack", "Poptones", "Lowlife".